Published: July 04, 2008 11:14 pm            

Astronomical

Greeneville rally in eighth enough to beat Birds

BLUEFIELD — America celebrated its 232nd year of independence on Friday. The Bluefield Orioles were hoping to celebrate with their first two-game winning streak of the season.

Those hopes were dashed when Greeneville rallied for five runs over the final two innings to take a 7-4 Appalachian League win over Bluefield in front of 681 spectators at Bowen Field.

“Every night we want to win. We need to win the next two games so we can get on a little winning streak,” Bluefield manager Orlando Gomez said. “We’re still early in the season and I just hope things turn around and we come back and start playing better and do better.”

Bluefield (5-13) will host Greeneville again tonight at 7 p.m. All fans wearing red, white and blue will be admitted for half price.

The Astros have also struggled, sitting in last place in the West Division with a 7-11 record. That isn’t a concern to Greeneville manager Rodney Linares.

“Every day. You come out and try to win every day,” Linares said. “I don’t even look at (the standings). I just look at the kids and how they play. They come out every day and they’re ready to play and they give you their all.”

Brian Conley and Buck Britton had two hits apiece for the Orioles. Conley provided a thrill for his visiting parents by tripling in the sixth and scoring when relief pitcher Arcenio Leon was called for a balk. That run gave the Bluefield a 4-2 lead. It wouldn’t last.

“I don’t want to point fingers or anything, we just need to play better,” Gomez said. “We need to play better. Every time we make a mistake somebody takes advantage of it and those are the mistakes we’ve been doing for 18 games and we have to quit that.”

Greeneville’s rally started with one out in the eighth when Ebert Rosario walked. Rosario, who entered the game batting .409, led the Astros’ 11-hit attack with three hits, including a triple and he also scored two runs. The Orioles finally retired him on strikes in the ninth.

“Rosy, he can hit,” Linares said. “He’s more confident now, you can see it, he took that last at-bat, but nobody’s perfect. He’s putting the bat on the ball and making solid contact every day.”

Kody Hinze followed Rosario with a hit, which sent Bluefield pitcher Conrad Orman to the showers, with Daniel Eastham taking his place. Renzo Tello met him with an RBI single and pinch-runner Albert Cartwright scored on a wild pitch to knot the score at 4-4. Jose Altuve’s sacrifice fly brought home the lead run.

Greeneville added two runs in the ninth on a two-run single by Kyle Miller. Leon, who pitched 4 2/3 innings, was replaced with two runners on base and two outs in the ninth by Colin Urckfitz, who induced a ground ball by Elvin Polanco to end the game.

Bluefield led 3-0 after one frame and 4-2 in the sixth. The Orioles scored three in the first off 17-year-old Jordan Lyles, a supplemental first round draft choice taken by the Astros out of a South Carolina high school.

“We had a slow start today. Lyles gave up three runs in that first inning, keeping the ball up, but he’ll be OK,” Linares said. “He’s got a lot of potential, he can go as far as he wants.”

Britton, who reached base four times with two singles and two walks, started the first by reaching on a one-out bunt single, with Polanco following with a single. One out later, Lance West was plunked by a pitch and Jason Rook stroked a double to the right field fence, clearing the bases for the Orioles.

After Greeneville narrowed the margin to 3-2, Conley’s triple helped push the lead to 4-2.

Greeneville got on the board in the fourth when Altuva walked, stole second and scored on an error by Bluefield shortstop Robert Stevens. A second run crossed the plate in the sixth after Rosario tripled and scored when a Hinze ground ball was bobbled by Stevens. The Bluefield shortstop would commit a third error in the ninth, raising his total to 13 this season.

Eddie Gamboa started for Bluefield, surrendering six hits and one unearned run, along with three strikeouts and a walk in five innings. Orman fanned four and allowed one run until the eighth, but gave way to Eastham (0-1), who surrendered three runs, two of which were earned over the final 1 1/3 frames.

“(Orman) did a good job. He gave up one run early and then he walked a guy and then he got one out and the other guy got a bloop single,” Gomez said. “I had a right-hander fresh in the bullpen so I figured maybe we can get an inning over. Things happen in the game, but the thing is we need to play better.”

Lyles went four innings for Greeneville, allowing six hits and three runs. Leon (1-0) allowed just two hits and one earned in 4 2/3 innings. Urckfitz retired the only batter he faced. The Astros received two hits apiece from Tello, Pedro Gonzalez and second round draft choice Jay Austin.

Gomez is looking for more games like Thursday’s 6-2 win over Princeton when the Orioles got good pitching and timely hitting, with fewer mistakes in the field or on the mound.

“We played a little bit better and we won that game,” Gomez said. “We cannot continue making mistakes or have a situation where we’re walking so many people in a situation where we need to go after the hitters. Every time a mistake happens we pay for it.”

— Contact Brian Woodson

at bwoodson@bdtonline.com



At Bowen Field

Greeneville………….000 011 032 — 7 11 0

Bluefield…………….300 001 000 — 4 8 3

Jordan Lyles, Arcenio Leon (5), Patrick Urckfitz (9) and Pedro Gonzalez. Eddie Gamboa, Conrad Orman (6), Daniel Eastham (8) and Luis Bernardo. W — Arcenio Leon (1-0) L — Daniel Eastham (0-1); S — Patrick Urckfitz (1). HR — none. Att — 681.

        

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